Snow removal



E. A. SMITH Jan. 31, 1933.

SNOW REMOVAL Filed Jan. 24, 1930 aw Q Patented Jan. 31, 1933 ,UNITEDSTATES PATENT oFFrcE i EDWARD A. SMITH, or wnsu: ENGLEWOOZD, EW JERSEYsnow REivIovAI. 7

Application filed January 24, 1930. seriainb. 423.1115.

broken away and appearing. in section.

The machine disclosedv consists in the main of a series of chainconveyors adapted to pick up and carry the snow into the melting rangeof a fire box, said chains operatingin effect as a set of fines intowhich the. fire box discharges. a i

The first conveyor which is designated 5 consistsof a series ofchannel'slats 6 carried by chains 7 and extending from sprockets 8within the heating chamber 9' of the machine forwardly over sprockets 10and downwardly out through the open end 11 of the chamber over sprockets12 and upwardly over sprockets 13, and. backwardly on a slight downwardincline to the rearward sprockets 8. A cross blade 14 beneath thelowerrun of the chain adj acentthe sprockets 14 serves as a stripper todrop anyunmelted snow onto the upper length-of an outwardly runningconveyor 15, which may be constructed similarly to the first and whichis shown as supported on sprockets 16, 17. The upper run of thisconveyor also slantsback into the machine as clearly shown inFig. 2.Beneath the lower run ofthis second conveyor adjacent the outermostsprockets 17, a i

stripper 18isshown for scraping any unmelted material 01f onto the thirdconveyor indicated-at 19 and shown as supported on sprockets 20, 21. J

The third conveyor may be made up of slightly separated channel slatsmounted on chains as in the case of the first conveyor and this like thefirst two is shown as having its upper run inclined downwardly toward 5the inner end of the heating chamber. 1 This third conveyor is operatedthe reverse of the secondconveyor, that is with its upper end travellinginwardly toward the inner end of theheating compartment.

portion of the upper conveyor are shown as mounted" on a transverseshaft 22, carried by forwardly extending arms 23 pivoted at 24Ito. thefront ends of the channel 25 formingi the-side frames ofthe machine. Asin dicated at 5 in Fig. 2, the'lower run ot'the chain may be permittedto drag on the pavement or, road surface, so as to exert a sweepingeffect on the snow, thereby breaking and picking it up to an extent andg ining a purchase on the same'to pick it up and carry it on theupwardly extending run. Shoes 26 at the forward ends of the arms 23operate as runners for engagement with the road surface to raise andlower the slack forward portion ofthe conveyorin accordance with roadconfiguration to prevent the arms from lowering the forwardlyextendingportion of the conveyor too far. Stop blocks 27 are shownsecured between thejpairs of side arms 23 and adapted by engagement withthejfor; ward ends of the side channels25, Fig.2 to 1 limit the loweringmovement of said arms and of the chain sprockets carried thereby. 80,

If desired, road wheels may be mounted in the runners 26 or on the shaft22 and these ,runners may be widenedas indicated in Fig.

1. tooperate as-scoops for directing the snow over toward the upper runof the conveyor.

The heat for melting the snow is provided in the present disclosure bysuitable oil burn ers 28, discharging through'ports 29, into fire boxes30, which in turn discharge ports into the inner end of themelting .55The sprockets supporting the extended r The machine may be selfpropelled or be drawn on pushed'by suitable power. In the illustration,the machine is propelled by an and with air through a line 35 from ablower .36 driven by an 1 engine38 geared by chain 39to' asupportingroller 40,.journalled infbrackets 41 in the rearof themachine. Steering is accomplishedlin the illustration by steerable frontwheels 42 indicated as provided with suitable steerin gknuckles at 43and connected by a linkage 44, 45, 46, with the steering wheel 47 Themotor 38 which is used for driving the machine is also employed in theillustration for operating the conveyors, itbeing shown as equipped forthis purpose with an extra sprocket 48 drivin a chain 49, running over asprocket 50 on the shaft 51, which carrie'sthe-sprockets 17,,Fig. 2, forthe second conveyor} This second conveyor therefore is thusidirectlydriven'by chain 49.

V :The first andthird' conveyorsalsoare directly driven from them-aindrive chain'49 in the illustration by having sprockets 52, 53

and lower runs of said main drive shaft as pla nly. shown in; Fig. 2.

. A suitable clutch is indicated at 56 in Fig. lfby which the conveyordrive may be controlledat will and another clutch is indicated at 57int-he line of drive connections to the roller 40, whereby thepropulsion of V e the vehicle maybe controlled at will. If desired,thepropulsion gearing'm'ay include suitable change speed gearsenablingthe rate of' travel'to be governed according to road.

conditions without changing the drive of the conveyor chains... 7Suitable braking mechanism for holding and controlling the vehicle maybe provided as indicated in a general way at 58 in Fig. 1, the brakingbeing shown as applied to the road-roller40. V e

As shown the conveyor is'propelled along the roadway, the inclined frontconveyorwill pick up the snow and carry the same upward and inward intothe melting chamber. If

any unmelted snow remains at the end of the vrearward travel ofithisconveyor,ithe sameis deposited onto the upward,outward length of thesecond conveyor and if the melting is internal combustion engine 7 pchamber being open at the; bottom has, the

melting chamber close to the burner exist flues 31. 'The three conveyorssuperposed as they are, sheet the flame from the burners,

operating as fiues to confine or control the v I heatin layers above andbelow the respective conveyors. The speed of travel of the conveyors andthe machine may be-regulated to effect complete or substantiallycomplete conversion of the snow and ice. The melting effect of warmingthe pavement. or roadway over. which the machine travels, to melt thesnow fragmentswhich the front conveyor may have failed to, pick upandthe road roller 40, carrying the weight of the machine.

and also exerting the propulsive force, 'has the effect of breaking upand ironing out any snow or ice fragments wh ch may have remain'edunconsumed. This road roller may be smooth or be ribbed, grooved orroughened' as desired, for tractive purposes. Due to the weight-of themachine, thesmooth r011? er usually is sufficient and may be preferredfor ironing out purposes; The shoes at thef side edges of the elevatingconveyor aidjin directing the snow and ice to and'upon the up-runningreach of this conveyor and the slack at thedown'runningside of'this conground breaking the bond with the pavement and sweeping theloosefragments forwardly, so as to ride up onthe chain'into the oven ormelting chamber. The side "channels 25 give the necessary strength'tothe body of the machine, inclining upwardly fromi' the front end back tothe rearward end, where 'veyor causes the cross slats to drag on the100.

they are connected'bya cross'channel5 9 The rear wheel brackets 41 areindicated as connected to this channel frame and similarly the frontwheelbrackets l60 carrying the front axle and the steering wheels'may beconnected to the channel frame structure as indicated in Fig. 2.

chine is not in actual operation. the front conveyor may be lifted outof the way, it

In travelling ever the roads when the ma- I "1'15 swinging upward on thepivoted supporting arms 23 and being hooked or otherwise supportedinthiselevated inoperative position.

What is claimed is: 1 Snow melting apparatus, comprising a communicatingfire box andmelting oven, an upper snow conveyor having an upper runoperating in said ovenchamber and travelf ling toward saidffire box,anintermediate' conveyor beneath the upper conveyor and havingits'upperQruntravelling awayfrom 7 the: fire box,"a 'lower conveyorhaving its upper run disposed beneath the intermediate conveyor andtravelling. toward the fire box and a single drive chain operating theintermediate conveyor and having upper and lower reaches in drivingrelation to the upper and lower conveyors.

2. Snow removal apparatus, comprising a melting chamber, a fire box atthe inner end of said chamber and discharging longitudinally of saidchamber, a slat conveyor having its upper run extending in upwardlyinclined relation into the front end of said chamber and backwardlytherein substantially to the fire box at the inner end of said chamberand a second conveyor having an upper run disposed beneath the firstconveyor and travelling from a position adjacent the fire box jectingoutwardly of the conveyor, which conveyor extends in inclined relationout through the open front end of the melting oven and self-supportingmeans for carrying said inclined portion of the conveyor in closerelation to the road surface, with the lower run of the chainsufliciently slack to drag on the pavement or road surface to exert asweeping effect on the snow,'the projecting flanges thereby breaking upand dislocating snow and ice adhering to the paveforwardl toward thefront end of the melting cham er.

3. Snow removal apparatus, comprising a melting chamber, a fire box atthe inner end of said chamber and discharging longitudinally of saidchamber, a slat conveyor havin its upper run extending in upwardlyinclined relation into the front end of said chamber and backwardlytherein substantially to the fire box at the inner end of said chamber,a second conveyor having an upper run disposed beneath the firstconveyor and travelling from a position adjacent the fire box forwardlytoward the front end of the melting chamber and a third conveyor withinthe melting chamber and having an upper run beneath the second conveyorand travelling rearwardly from a point adjacent the front end of themelting chamber toward the fire box.

4. Snow removal apparatus, comprising a meltin chamber, a fire box atthe inner end of sai chamber and discharging longitudinally of saidchamber, a slat conveyor having its upper run extending in upwardlyinclined relation into the front end of said chamber and backwardlytherein substantially to the fire box at the inner end of said chamber,a second conveyor having an upper run disposed beneath the firstconveyor and travelling from a position adjacent the fire box forwardlytoward the front end of the melting chamber and a third conveyor withinthe melting chamber and having an upper run beneath the second conveyorand travelling rearwardly from a point adjacent the front end of themelting chamber toward the fire box, said second and third conveyorsbeing also of slatted construction to sheet the heat from the fire boxin layers within the melting chamber.

' 5. Snow removal apparatus comprising a portable melting oven open atone end, a urner :for delivering heat into the o posite end of the ovenand conveyor means or carrying ice and snow from the open end of theoven into the influence of the burner and consisting of side chainsconnected by closely spaced channels forming cross-slats anddisposedwith the side flanges of the same pro-

